Nuclear energy

Nuclear energy has already been developed worldwide for more than half a century. The beginning of this process may be considered the year of 1942, when the Italian physicist Enrico Fermi, working in Chicago (USA), controlled a nuclear fission chain reaction. From that moment the era of nuclear technology began.

Today, 440 active reactors in 33 countries throughout the world produce 370 GW (thou. MW) of electric power, making up approximately 16 percent of the total electrical energy produced worldwide. Europe is exceeding this average: nuclear energy makes up as many as 34 percent of all energy generated on the European continent. Additionally, 284 nuclear research reactors in 56 countries worldwide are used for scientific research, while 220 nuclear reactors are used as power plants for both military and civil vessels.

34 nuclear reactors are currently being constructed in 14 countries worldwide. In as many as 16 countries, nuclear energy makes up at least one quarter of the electrical energy generated nationally. In 2006, the following countries used nuclear power plants to generate the majority of the electrical energy needed*: